I glanced at Deirdre, but she just clenched her jaw and blinked furiously.
‘Anyway, apologies for bringing up the weasel, Deirdre,’ Laurie went on. ‘But once you’ve drunk, Sophie, there’s no going back. You must stick to the Gal Code: always laugh at our jokes, keep our stories to yourself and never embarrass another Gal in public unless it’s for her own good. Are you in?’
‘Of course she’s in!’ Kalani cried, raising her glass in a toast.
‘To the latest addition to the Gals!’ Hattie cheered.
‘Um…’
What on earth was I doing? How had this happened? Me, Sophie Potter, who constructed her entire life around not making real friends, forming lasting connections or belonging to anyone, anywhere, ever, now about to enlist in some sort of lifelong sorority for grown women?
I looked at the four Gals, their glasses poised, waiting. What on earth weretheydoing, these audacious women, inviting me of all people to join their treasured friendship group?
Oh, to hell with it,half a bottle of wine, an afternoon arting it out and eight years of voluntary loneliness yelled inside my head.Why not say yes, for once?
So I took a big sip of my really-not-gorgeous gal and said yes. Yes to laughing at jokes, sharing stories and what I suspected could well involve a lot of embarrassment that just, quite possibly, might end up being for my own good.
9
The other gals left around six. Hattie was clearly flagging, despite us not making it anywhere near the attic. I remembered her anguish in the chapel, which seemed so long ago now, and wondered if that had something to do with the strain creasing around her eyes and sagging shoulders. The rain had finally stopped and the clouds cleared, the sunset bathing the Riverbend lawn in a fiery glow, so I decided to give her some space, taking out Muffin for a quick walk to clear the last of the cocktail fug from my head, and try to process an eventful day.
We took the shortest route to the river, planning on hanging around on the bank for a few minutes before heading back to the house. Had I been here alone, I might have felt nervous about being caught in the deepening dusk, but having a dog padding alongside me, however ineffective she might be if we encountered any danger, always somehow provided the reassurance I needed.
That was, until we reached the river, when the dark shape of a person loomed up ahead. My instinctive reaction was to stop and turn back, quickly and quietly enough so that whoever it was didn’t notice me, but Muffin scuppered that idea by bounding up to greet them with an excited bark.
As soon as the man turned to give her ears a scratch, I could tell it was Gideon. My heart decided to thump even harder than if it had been a stranger, but it was going to be impossible to slip into the shadows, so instead I did my best to stroll up and say hello as if the last time I’d seen him, I hadn’t run away for no discernible reason.
‘Hey.’ He nodded, eyes creasing with a smile.
‘Hi.’ It was all I could think of to say but seemed to be enough. Gideon got up from his camping chair and offered it to me, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
‘No, it’s fine. We’re just having a quick walk. I don’t want to be caught out in the dark.’
‘I’ll walk you back,’ he said, calm as anything. ‘Sit for a few minutes. This is too good not to share.’
‘I don’t want to take your seat.’
‘Too late.’ Gideon shrugged out of his puffer coat, dropped it on the muddy ground and sat on it.
I sat down, huddling up in the chair for warmth. My raincoat was still damp from the morning’s walk, and the grey jacket I’d worn wasn’t thick enough for a February evening.
‘Here.’ Leaning forwards to a pile of supplies in between us, Gideon poured a flask of thick liquid into a travel mug and stretched over to pass it to me.
I held up my hands to decline, despite the cloud of steam having the most enticing aroma.
‘I’m not taking your coffee as well as your chair.’
‘Oh, no. I have another one.’ He gestured to a second mug.
‘Were you planning on someone joining you?’
He gave a secretive smile, meeting my eyes head-on. ‘Just hopeful.’
I accepted the drink with a thank you, savouring the delicious warmth as I took a sip.
‘I’m guessing it’s a step too far to offer you my hat?’
‘You guessed right.’
